NEW MOON - Tuesday 4th January 2011

Here's another reflection from Ajahn Munindo on the occasion of the new moon today.

Bale out the water from your boat;

having cut loose from the defiling passions of lust and hatred; unencumbered, sail on towards liberation.

Dhammapada verse 369

"Our heart grows lighter as we see how the unruly passions can be such a heavy burden. We may have been wondering, ‘what is it that keeps dragging me down?’ Recognising the connection between the thoughts we entertain and the state of our heart, a sense of urgency arises. We won’t want to think thoughts that could swamp us. When we know how to let go of that which creates obstructions the vessel upon which we sail towards freedom moves more swiftly."

With Metta,

Bhikkhu Munindo

Also today, cloudy conditions over much of the UK prevented people from seeing a partial solar eclipse at sunrise.

In clear conditions, the east and south coasts of England would have been the best place to see the Moon pass between the Sun and Earth just after 0800 GMT, so we would have been ideally placed here on the island.. C'est la vie.